The upside to Canada’s book festivals being driven online during COVID-19: every ticket is more accessible, despite geography. For the Nova Scotian writer who wants to hone their craft at Calgary’s When Words Collide or the B.C. librarian planning to bring their virtual reading club to Ontario’s Forest of Reading Festival, 2021 is the perfect opportunity to dip into events that aren’t usually just a click away. Here are seven festivals to stream this summer.

Montreal and Quebec’s only festival of its kind that brings authors of the Young Adult genre from across North America for a full day interactive event will take place this Sunday, May 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Gelber Conference Centre, 5151 Cote Ste. Catherine Road. Dubbed MTL YA FEST, the event is organized by Talya Pardo, director of the Norman Berman Children’s Library of the Jewish Public Library.

MTL YA Fest is where authors gather for a full day of panel discussions, Q&As, games, and book signing – offering readers the opportunity to engage directly with their favourite authors.

In the first installment of a series of episodes covering Montreal YAFest, Teffer interviews the Mtl YaFest founder, Talya Pardo. We talk about how YAFest came to be, what authors we can expect to see at this year's YAFest, and why YA appeals to such a wide audience!

We sit down with Talya Pardo, the organizer of the second annual Montreal YA! Fest, which brings together the authors and readers of young-adult fiction - and offers teens a chance to be creative too.